This invention relates to a game machine system, capable of displaying commercial advertisements, a data distribution system and method for distributing data, a program executing method and apparatus for executing the software and a program starting controlling method and apparatus.
This invention has a technical pertinence to the Japanese patent Application No.7-166,682 of the same inventor filed in the name of the assignee of the present invention on Jun. 30, 1995, entitled xe2x80x98Game Machine System and Game Method Capable of Commercial Advertisementsxe2x80x99.
Recently, game machines have been propagated not only in the dedicated game corner shops, but also in homes, such that the racing game software of a vehicle or the aircraft flight simulator game software is marketed in large quantities.
In the game machine, if a game software item, such as a racing game software item, is started, the landscape faithfully representing a real F1 racing field is represented on a display. Each racing car is run on a circuit course at an elevated speed in accordance with commands entered by an operator via an operating board, such as a joystick.
Although commercial ads are presented in the real F1 racing field on a walling of a background circuit course, placards, advertising towers or on a chassis of the vehicle, there lacks an instance of positively incorporating the corresponding commercial ads in the game software.
The ads built on the game are limited to advertisements of the software producing firms before or after the game of the game software or on scene change, while there lacks an instance in which positive commercial ads are made in particular scenes in the game software.
Even if ads are sometimes displayed in the background, these are formal ads for faithfully simulating the real landscape of the circuit course, while there are no instances of commercial ads taking profitability into account.
The current civil TV broadcasting firms are managed by profits from the commercial ads, instead of broadcasting fees being charged to the receivers.
In similar manner, if commercial ads can be built into the walling of the background circuit course, placards or advertising towers of the game software, for meeting the demands of a third firm, the advertisement fees can be charged to the advertising firm so that the sale price of the game software can be lowered or reduced to zero.
Moreover, since a particular game software is thought to be used a number of times, if the contents of the ads can be optionally modified or updated, these will prove to be effective commercial ads to lead to expected advertisement income. This accounts for the motive which has led to the present invention.
The Japanese patent application No.7-166,682 discloses an invention in which it is proposed to introduce commercial ads during the game.
The insertion of the commercial ads leads to cost reduction and hence to increased sale volume of the game software.
However, there lacks a suitable method whereby it can be judged whether or not the commercial ads are introduced and in operation so that, if there are introduced no commercial ads, the operation of the software will cease.
If the commercial ads are introduced and in operation, the sponsors of the commercial ads have to bear and pay the charges. Therefore, it is necessary to inhibit the operation of the software without making the commercial ads. This, however, has not been taken into account sufficiently in the invention pertaining to the Japanese Patent application No.7-166,682.
When a game software is first presented for sale, many users use the software. However, as time elapses since the start of sale, the number of the users is decreased.
If the number of the users is decreased, the utility of the game software as the commercial ads is decreased. In a game machine which cannot be run unless the updated commercial ads are introduced, it is necessary to distribute the updated software data although the commercial ads are lowered in utility, thus raising the cost of the software.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a game machine system in which home game machines are connected via a communication network to a host computer (controller) to provide a game machine system and in which the game software items used in the game machine system is designed so that the commercial ads can be built into the game software responsive to the demands of the advertising firms. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a game method utilizing the game machine system, a data distribution system, a program executing method and apparatus and a program start controlling method and apparatus, exploiting this game machine system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game machine system in which commercial ads utilized in the game machine system cam be suitably easily updated, and a game method utilizing the game machine system, a data distribution system, a program executing method and apparatus and a program start controlling method and apparatus, exploiting this game machine system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a suitable method for judging whether or not commercial ads are introduced and in operation in a game software item and for taking measures so that the game software will not be in operation if the result of judgment is negative.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for starting a game of a game software put on sale some time before and the sale volume of which is decreased, even failing the newly updated commercial ads, and a data distribution system, a program executing method and apparatus and a program start controlling method and apparatus, exploiting this game machine system.
A broadcast system according to the present invention is such a system capable of distributing digital data, in which, in a receiving side system, software start enable signals are repeatedly sent to a receiving side system at an interval and in which an identification signal for the software and data for substitution or insertion for a portion of the data during operation of the software are distributed in an interval between the software start enable signals. In this case, the data for substitution or insertion may be commercial ads.
The game can only be started when the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side. By containing the time information in the software start enable signal, the information can be varied randomly.
A transmitting side system distributing the digital data by exploiting the broadcast system, according to the present invention, is such a system in which a software start enable signal, an identification signal for a software started in the receiving side system and data for substitution or insertion for a portion of the data during operation of the software are stored in a storage device, the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side system and the software identification signal and the data for substitution or insertion are sent in an interval between the software start enable signals. In this case, the data for substitution or insertion may be commercial ads.
The game can only be started when the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side. By containing the time information in the software start enable signal, the information can be varied randomly.
A receiving side system for receiving digital data distributed by exploiting a broadcast system, according to the present invention, is such a system which includes receiver means for receiving the digital data and a game machine connected to the receiver means and capable of running the software. The game software is prohibited from starting in the game machine until the software start enable signal is received by the receiver means. In this case, the data for substitution or insertion may be commercial ads.
The game can only be started when the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side. By containing the time information in the software start enable signal, the information can be varied randomly.
An optical disc used in a receiving side system adapted for receiving data distributed by exploiting the broadcast system or the communication system, according to the present invention, is such an optical disc in which a software identification signal is appended to a recorded software item and the receiving side system can selectively use the distributed data.
A communication system for receiving/transmitting digital data, according to the present invention, is such a communication system in which, if an identification signal for a software to be started is received from a receiving side system, a software start enable signal is sent, at the same time as data for substitution or insertion for a portion of the data during operation of the software are distributed. In this case, the data for substitution or insertion may be commercial ads.
The game can only be started when the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side. By containing the time information in the software start enable signal, the information can be varied randomly.
A transmitting side system capable of receiving and transmitting digital data by exploiting the communication system, according to the present invention, is such a system in which a software start enable signal, a signal capable of identifying a software started on a receiving side system and data for substitution or insertion for a portion of the data during operation of the software are stored in a storage device, and in which, if the signal capable of identifying the started software is received from the transmitting side system, a software start enable signal is sent to the transmitting side system and data for substitution or insertion for a portion of the data during operation of the software are distributed. In this case, the data for substitution or insertion may be commercial ads.
The game can only be started when the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side. By containing the time information in the software start enable signal, the information can be varied randomly.
A receiving side system capable of receiving and transmitting digital data by exploiting the communication system, according to the present invention, includes communication function means and a game machine capable of operating a software item. The game machine transmits, on starting the software, an identification signal for the software adapted for starting, to a transmitting side system, the starting of the software being inhibited until acceptance of the software start enable signal sent next. In this case, the data for substitution or insertion may be commercial ads.
The game can only be started when the software start enable signal is sent to the receiving side. By containing the time information in the software start enable signal, the information can be varied randomly.
A data distribution system for distributing data to a plurality of receiving devices, according to the present invention, includes means for recognizing a software program started on a receiving side device on reception of the supplied program identification information, means for generating program start enable signal, which is a signal in meeting with a software program recognized by the recognition means and which, if the software program is a regular software program, enables starting of the regular software program, and means for distributing the program start enable signal and for distributing data for substitution or insertion of part of the software program started in accordance with the program start enable signal.
A program executing apparatus for executing a software program, according to the present invention, includes reception means for receiving program start enable signal distributed from a data distributing device and data for substitution or insertion for original data of the software program and control means for substituting or inserting the original data of the software program for the data responsive to the program start enable signal received by the reception means for executing the software program.
A program start control apparatus for controlling the starting of a software program according to the present invention includes receiving means for receiving from a data distributing device data for substitution or insertion for original data of part of the software program and an encrypted program start enable signal and limiting means for enabling execution of a program of substituting or inserting the data for original data of part of the software program if the encrypted program start enable signal can be decoded regularly. The limiting means limits starting of the software program if the encrypted program start enable signal cannot be decoded regularly.